Compliments to the Red Hat
by formerlyknownasone
Summary: I think that red hats deserve more credit than they are given. A DMHG oneshot.


**Hey guys I'm back with the super sweet oneshot I promise you. It's a DMHG story.**

**This was originally going to be part of Over Tea Leaves and Coffee, but I think it's better as a oneshot. You don't necessarily have to read that to understand this, but I highly encourage you to read it because it's really good haha. Leave behind a couple of reviews too. **

**This one is called Compliments to the Red Hat, and it blends with Over Tea Leaves and Coffee nicely. Kind of a companion piece with subtle hints, and I think it's a rather sweet.**

**Enjoy.**

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****Compliments to the Red Hat**

The wind from early this morning had picked up again. Hermione could feel the difference as a chill when right through her skin, making her shiver slightly. The leaves of the trees on the pavement rustled somewhat violently, and her dress billowed slightly as the soft fabric caught onto a bit of the wind.

She hadn't _bothered_ to put on a coat this morning, half forgetting and half because she didn't want to spoil the effect of her dress. It was cream coloured with long sleeves, fitting her snugly on the waist. It was one of her better ones, the rare few that managed to escape unscathed without stains or holes in it.

But she couldn't say the same for it now though. It was in a state of mess and as usual, damage beyond repair. There were slight specks of dirt on it, and grass stains were evident on her skirt. There was a slight fray on one of her sleeves, and a small splotch at the rim of her dress. Now, on foresight, she decided it wasn't a very good decision at all to forgo the coat.

She sighed in dismay as she walked down the quiet grey streets of London. All these were, of course, memoirs left behind by this morning's wind. It was all her hat's fault, _really_, flying off like that.

She clutched on slightly to her red little hat, not wanting a repeat incident of this morning. This little gesture, of course, puzzled her companion, who had been walking beside her for the past two minutes since they left the shop. She appeared not to have noticed the blond man, too busy worrying about the soon-to-begin battle of the wind and her hat, which she preferred to avoid as long as possible.

The man, of course, decided it was time to remind her of his presence.

"Er hem." He coughed, a simple and effective method he knew would get her attention. And he was right.

Absentmindedly Hermione looked up at her companion, and then blinked a couple of times, as if suddenly remembering someone was_ beside_ her. The truth was, she_ did_ forget about him, and had been totally oblivious to his presence. She wondered if she should pretend that she remembered he was beside her all along, but after a while Hermione laughed and gave up. It was no use. Judging from the twinkle in his eye, he already knew the truth as well.

"Sorry Malfoy," she apologised to the tall, grinning gentleman. She couldn't help but noticed that he was neatly dressed, not even a single stain on his shirt. That's because he didn't have a hat to chase after, she thought bitterly. She didn't particularly appreciate the fact she looked rather shabby beside him.

He shrugged, not particularly bothered by what happened. "What are you so engrossed—" He started, but then he found Hermione looking distractedly at her hat once more, not taking in a word he was saying.

Again.

Interested in what was going on, he finally plucked the despised object off her head, earning a scowl from Hermione as Draco examined the little red fly-away thing.

"What in the blazes in so miraculous about this hat?" he asked, amazed as he peered at the bright-coloured bonnet.

"What makes you think something was so miraculous about it?"

"Well, for one, you couldn't stop staring at it.

"For your information, this happens to be my _favourite_ hat," Hermione told Draco huffily.

"Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully, raising his eyebrows at the offending object.

"_Yes, I'm sure. _Now give it back!" And with that, Hermione snatched her brightly coloured hat back, clutching it tightly on her hand.

It was her favourite hat indeed. It was rather plain and old-fashioned, but something about it appealed to Hermione greatly. It was bright red and small, the brim barely able to shade her from the glares of the sun. She had spotted it in a charity shop years ago, tucked away in a corner, and immediately bought the lovely red sunhat on the spot. It looked slightly battered and worn, probably the scars remaining from its battle with nature. But she loved it anyway.

Replacing it back on top of her head successfully, she patted her hat fondly, hoping that it wouldn't fly off again. The hat seemed (and she was certainly suspicious) to have a spirit of its own, and a very mischievous one that enjoyed tormenting its owner.

"I thought it was books you like!" Draco mused, finding it refreshing to see the sensible Hermione so attached to the ridiculous red hat.

"I just happen to like this one a lot," Hermione explained, walking along the road with him.

"Of course, it is rather troublesome at times," she laughed lightly, "We had a battle against the wind this morning, and the wind won, which explains my appearance." She continued, gesturing to her grass stained dress.

Draco took a closer look at his walking companion. Her dress had been rather rumpled, and her brown hair was in a state of mess. She didn't look at all clean and fresh like she usually did. Still though, he had to admit that the hat made the face beneath it looked very sweet.

"I don't like hats much, myself," Draco said as they continued walking, not bothering to tell her that he thought she looked rather lovely like this.

The disobedient little hat must have overheard him, and was determined to punish both the owner and her companion greatly. Feeling wounded, the saucy red hat decided to take a little trip, and the sudden gust of wind was the perfect time to do it. Taking off from Hermione's head, it sailed into the grey sky, perfectly contented to get blown away.

It levitated itself off the poor owner's head, who led out a cry of dismay as she spotted it borne in the air. As the naughty thing darted out of sight, the unhappy Hermione dashed off after it, not at all caring where she was headed to. Draco chased after her hat too, amused by the whole situation.

But it seemed that the closer they got, the more determined the hat was to run away. Instead of landing obediently onto the ground, the stubborn hat soared even higher into the sky.

"There it is!" Hermione cried, pointing at the betrayer just ten feet away.

And there it was, sailing happily with the wind, swishing merrily round the street corner between First Street and Pine Avenue. Draco was near, almost there… and Wham! He leaped into the air and tried to catch it with his arms, but his finger barely grazed it. The dreadful red hat was too far beyond his reach. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"We will get it, I promise," Draco told her, his eyes twinkling as they both ambled on after it again.

And what a chase it was. The relentless wind blew the hat _everywhere_ but to them. They passed the ice cream man, the butcher shop, pass a tempting book store…Everywhere, before hovering near the street lamp. For a moment it seemed to have landed lazily onto the tall street lights, and Hermione's heart gave a leap, but then another slight breeze carried the hat away again. It was gone. They had been a second too late though, and both had accidentally stepped into a large puddle of water.

Slightly wet, the both of them ran after the hat again, this time neither of them able to contain their mad laughs. And so they merrily ran, while some passer-bys smiled at the sight of two adults on the streets, frolicking and giggling like children. Many turned to admire a young woman, laughing as her messy hair tossed into the wind, and an equally dishevelled gentleman, red in the face but still chuckling. Hermione hadn't felt this young in ages.

They finally entered a very small park by the city, where the pompous hat had flown in. Racing up on the green grass, Hermione struggled across the slightly rough terrain, her heels often getting stuck in the mud and earth. Feeling tired, she finally gave up, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Her companion stopped too.

As if more by irony than anything, the wind began to die down, causing the mischievous red hat drifted slowly near the ground. It lingered in the air for another few moments, before landing on the lower branches of a small apple tree, as if finally bowing down to its opponent. Draco retrieved the submissive hat from the tree, dusting it slightly before returning it to its owner, who had slowly strolled up towards him.

"Thank you," she said to him, and the both of them sat down on the grass, shading themselves under the short tree. Feeling tired and sweaty, she closed her eyes slightly and rested against the sturdy trunk, inhaling the sweet-smelling scent of apples and flowers.

She sniffed again. Something about the smell of apples reminded her of her childhood.

The park was rather quiet, and few people were in this small little garden. Nearby there were several children playing in the sandbox of an abandoned playground, but that was it. They were the only source of noise in the area, with the birds chirping only occasionally. Moss grew on the tree, and fallen leaves littered all over the green grass. This place looked like time stood still for a couple of years.

Turning back to Draco, she discovered that he too, was leaning back on the sturdy apple tree, looking up into the sky. His tie was askew, and she was pleased to note, that his shirt was rather rumpled and dishevelled as she was. She couldn't remember a time she saw him so… messy. Probably never, and smirked slightly, making him raise his eyebrows.

"Do you find me so amusing, Granger?"

"No, but I can't remember the time when the world has seen Draco Malfoy looking shabbier than this."

Smiling, he chose to ignore this blow from his companion, shrugging his shoulders. Instead, he took the subdued red hat away from her, fingering its brim, as if thoughtful.

"Don't you think," He said quite suddenly, "that we ought to teach this hat a little manners?"

_Was she really hearing what she thought she heard?_

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, straightening up and feeling slightly confused.

"What I mean is, this hat needs to learn how to behave." He answered cheerfully, staring at the brightly coloured object.

"Draco, I hate to tell you this, but the hat is an inanimate object." She told him ruefully.

"So?" He said this as if he knew a secret she didn't.

"Inanimate objects can't hear you."

"Who says they can't?" He asked with a bright gleam in his eyes, as he proceeded to pick up the hat.

She didn't even know why she didn't feel surprised to hear him say this at all. Ever since they had been reacquainted she learned not to be too surprised anymore. Everything always seemed to be possible, somehow, when he was around. There was something about him that makes the strange world make sense. Something_ extraordinary_. She wasn't too sure. Perhaps there was magic in his fingers.

Instead, she watched him curiously as he lifted it to eye level as if too make eye contact with the hat. He then gave the red hat a stern look, eyeing it with a frown.

And then _he started talking to the hat._

" No flying off anymore." He scolded, wagging one off his finger threateningly at it. The hat merely flapped around slightly in the breeze as response.

He gave the hat a slight knock, as if tapping it on its head. Shaking his head, he reprimanded the hat again, looking severely at it. Hermione noticed this time, it seemed to fidget less.

"I told you not to move." He said once more to the hat, frowning.

She watched him, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from lifting. She found it very amusing indeed, to see someone like Draco acting so child-like, and she couldn't help but smile again at the sight of him behaving in such an adorable and charming way. There was something she liked about this display of child-like quality.

The hat was going to escape again as the wind picked up slightly. This time though, Draco caught it before it managed to slip off.

"No, no," he scolded.

This was too much for Hermione. She burst into peals of laughter again.

"Draco!" she said, laughing.

"What?" He responded slyly.

"The hat can't hear you!"

"But it can_ listen_. Try it yourself."

Thrusting the hat back to her, he motioned for her to hold it firmly in her grip. She relented, following him obediently and she listened to him. She trusted him.

"What you really need to do," he instructed, "is to be firm with it. Now, scold it, and treat it as it were a naughty child."

Feeling silly, she looked at the hat, unsure of what to do. "Don't fly off anymore." She said smilingly.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The hat began to rebel at once, the wind tugging at it.

"Be firm!" Draco repeated.

" Don't fly off!" Hermione cried strictly.

Almost immediately, the hat stopped moving. Hermione thought she saw her naughty hat cower a little, as if scared. She took this as a good sign, and felt flushed with her success.

"Don't," she scolded as she tapped it lightly, "you ever fly off again."

The hat swayed a little before flopping, as if finally bowing in defeat. It now lay in her hands, subdued and motionless.

"It worked!" She said as she stood up from the grass, astonished by what just happen. She felt her jaw hung a little. He said nothing, except to smile knowingly as they walked down the gravel, but finally answered as they left the park.

"I told you it would work," Draco told her.

"I can't believe it," she said beaming.

"What the hat, really needed, was to learn some discipline. That's all." With that, he helped her tipped the hat carefully onto her head, where the red hat now humbly remained.

"I still can't believe it."

"It just needed a telling off," he insisted.

Walking further along, they finally arrived back to the streets of London. The whole area seemed so dull now to her, as if all the colours were left behind in the little park.

"They _can_ hear you, you know, all objects can. Those saucy things."

"_Really?"_ She asked, amazed. But it really was astounding, how much the man beside her knew.

"Really."

"Perhaps I should try it on my dresses too. They never seemed to remain clean." She said.

"I think you look fine the way you are." He said, winking at her, "I changed my mind though, I liked the hat." He added as an afterthought.

The hat seemed to have heard it. The docile thing now lay contentedly on its owner's head, and did not once move even as the gale grew stronger. This change did not go unobserved by Hermione.

" How on earth did you know it would work?" She asked impressed.

"I hear them talking sometimes. And I listen." Was his strange reply.

And then, before she had anytime to retaliate, with a swish and a chuckle, he bade her goodbye and headed off in the other direction, leaving Hermione slightly bedazzled, feeling a bit of magic tingling at her feet.

And the strange thing was, the red mischievous hat _never _flew off her head again.

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The next day, Hermione received a note slipped under her flat.

_Dear Hermione, _

_I send my respects to you this morning, as in my haste to leave yesterday I forgot to say goodbye properly. Forgive me for being rude, I did not mean to._

_Perhaps I forgot to mention it, but you looked rather lovely yesterday. Red so happens to be my favourite colour. Coincidentally, of course._

_Yours faithfully,_

_Draco Malfoy_

_PS: Send my compliments to the red hat._

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_**I hoped you enjoy this simple story. I think that sometimes stories are better if they end this way. **

**If you enjoy this, you can read the main piece called Over Tea Leaves and Coffee. I think you will like it. If you do, review and do tell me that you were interested in it after reading this oneshot!**

**As usual, leave behind a couple of reviews!**


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